What seminars and speakers can you expect TO SEE AT ONE OF OUR EVENTS?
Content is one of the biggest reasons SBLs attend EdExec LIVE, and our seminar programme is built to deliver exactly what they need
Our seminars are expert-led and tackle the real issues shaping school business leadership today. Sessions cover finance, funding and income generation, HR, estates, operations, procurement, leadership, change management and all the familiar acronyms such as CPD, HR, ICT and GDPR.
Each session runs for around 45 minutes and may take the form of a presentation, workshop or panel-style discussion, followed by time for questions. We build every seminar programme around the topics we know matter most to SBLs, SATs and MATs, ensuring there is plenty of choice for every role and every type of school or trust.
Speakers include practising school business managers, finance and trust directors, CEOs, CFOs, COOs, independent consultants and sector specialists. All are chosen for their credibility, relevance and ability to give you practical insight you can take straight back to your school or trust.
*Seminar topics are subject to change. Visit the site regularly to keep up-to-date with the latest.
jump to seminars at your chosen event
Not ready to choose an event yet?
If you haven't yet decided where or if to attend, but you want to get a sense of what seminars and workshops you can expect at an edexec live event, here's a selection of sessions from previous & upcoming events for you to peruse...
LEADERSHIP
Handling SARs safely
Legal essentials and practical tools for schools and trusts
LEADERSHIP
Strategic Moves to Free Up Time and Brain-Space
Quick fix actions for smarter ways of working
LEADERSHIP
Making Tough Decisions Land Well
Five-year thinking, clear trade-offs, and keeping people aligned
LEADERSHIP
The Business of Belonging
Culture as a performance lever in schools
FINANCE
Estates Triage
How to rank, fund and defend the ever-growing 'urgent' list
MANAGEMENT
Smarter Reserves Management for Trusts
Creating a compliant investment policy and deposit strategy that delivers
FINANCE
Levelling Up Internal Scrutiny and Audit
From Compliance to Best Practice
WELLBEING
Protecting Staff Reputation: Legal Support in the Digital age
Managing Risk, Reputation and Response
FINANCE
Financial Benchmarking
Turning insight into confident decisions
CPD
Why Saying NO can Sometimes be Best for Everyone
A focus on boundaries, clarity and protecting your capacity
FINANCE
Smarter Finance, Sharper Insight – Unlocking the Power of AI in Schools
How AI and cloud systems can cut workload, sharpen reporting and give insight
OPERATIONS
Hidden Savings, Better Outcomes: Strategic School Catering
How smarter catering models can cut costs, reduce workload and improve pupil outcomes
GREEN & SUSTAIN
Energy and Carbon Management Training Workshop
Tailored advice and actionable strategies to help you take control in your setting.
MANAGEMENT
Getting Strategic Value from Your Governance
Key insight to sharpen board focus, elevate reporting and strengthen decision making
LEADERSHIP
The OpEx Advantage
How Operational Excellence unlocks capacity, clarity and strategic impact
FINANCE
ICFP: The Magical Marriage of Education and Financial Planning
A smarter way to shape curriculum, staffing and budget
FINANCE
Income Generation That Matters
Practical income streams that enhance your Trust's priorities and reputation and are compliant
TRUST GROWTH
From Maintained to MAT
Assessing trust capability, capacity, and culture
FINANCE
Deficit Recovery: From Sticking Plasters to Financial Sustainability
Practical steps to stabilise budgets, rebuild confidence, and protect provision
LEADERSHIP
Boosting Your School's Reputation
Engaging the school Community through Marketing
TRUST GROWTH
A Fit-Check Framework for Joining a Trust
Assessing Trust Capability, Capacity, and Culture
MANAGEMENT
Difficult Conversations
What to say and how to say it
MANAGEMENT
Working Smarter not harder – Tackling the Time Thieves!
Identify the real “time thieves” in your environment
FINANCE
Income Generation That Matters
Practical income streams that enhance your Trust's priorities and reputation and are compliant
OPERATIONS
Framework or Fees
Choosing the right route to market for catering and cleaning contracts
FINANCE
Procurement Progression
Compliance, clarity, competition and contract performance
MANAGEMENT
Inspection Ready: The SBL’s Role in Delivering a Successful Ofsted
A guide to tightening processes, reducing panic and leading operational readiness
CPD
Final Word: Expert Panel, Q&A & Discussion From the Floor
Your chance to share ideas and insight, ask questions and hear what resonates most with your SBL colleagues
OPERATIONS
Practical SAR Strategies for Schools and Trusts
A practical workshop on protecting time, pupils and your team
MANAGEMENT
Keeping Great People
Using evidence and data to embed a culture of wellbeing and aid recruitment and retention
CPD
Claim Your Seat at the SLT Table
The value of the SBL voice and making it count
PROCUREMENT
Procurement That Doesn’t Work
Practical guidance to avoid your tenders being challenged, derailed or quietly failing
FINANCE
School Improvement When Budgets Bite
Balancing Finances with Impact
MANAGEMENT
Happy Staff Thrive
The people strategy that took retention from 40% to 17%
ESTATES
Estates Planning – Building a Long-Term Vision
From firefighting to foresight: Tips for turning condition data into a funded multi-year plan
MANAGEMENT
Governance With Bite
Keeping Boards Strategic, Fast and Focused
FINANCE
SEND System Under Pressure
SEND reform and practical tips for schools on the changes ahead
TRUST GROWTH
What’s Next for Trusts?
Finance, structure and leadership in a maturing system
PROCUREMENT
Procurement That Works
Strategic buying bringing consistency and value, that stands up to scrutiny
OPERATIONS
AI and Automation in School Business Operations
smarter estates, sharper decisions, less grind
GREEN & SUSTAIN
Sustainability in Practice
Moving from action plans to measurable impact
LEADERSHIP
Guardians of Risk: The SBL Role in Health, Safety and Protecting your School
A practical guide to managing risk, strengthening compliance and building a live risk register that drives decisions
OPERATIONS
Lockdown Readiness and Martyn's Law
A practical workshop on strengthening security without creating panic
GREEN & SUSTAIN
Demystifying Energy
Practical strategies to protect your budget and make a positive impact
LEADERSHIP
Leading with Purpose
Using the Golden Circle to guide teams change, culture and confidence in schools
FINANCE